THE TRANSPORTER 1 & 2- Movie Review.

Transporter. What kind of thoughts would come in your mind after hearing such a name for movies?

Now actually I watched the movie Transporter-2 first and I had not seen The Transporter i.e. the first part. Now I don’t know if that’s recommended, but I did it and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I don’t know whether watching the second part before the first made any difference. Whatever the case be, that is what happened.

Transporter-2 starts with a scene of the Transporter- Frank Martin in a beautiful Audi car, everything so sophisticated right from the start, putting on the gloves, an ignition code required for starting the car and then the fight scene right at the start indicating already that the movie has everything. Although the fight scene gets over before you know it, it introduces you to the capabilities of Frank. And not to mention, he has that kind of humour that you can perhaps associate with Arnold Schwarzenegger action movies, which is quite a success formula. You know a movie is almost perfect when you feel everything is falling in place beautifully, or perhaps you get this feeling if you love a movie and watch it over too many times. Whatever it maybe, just watch the reaction of the man shown when Frank takes off his coat before the fight. It is just perfect and says so many things….the admiration for the man, feeling what kind of a strange man he must be etc are conveyed by that one second look. Then the - so smooth start of the car, almost like a plane. It can’t get better.

Then another thing that struck me was the rapport with the kid from the very first scene. They really seemed to get along really well, almost like good friends. That first scene of the interaction of Jack- the boy and the Transporter is beautiful to say the least. Then after that you get to know more about the character of Frank in the coming scenes- understanding, kind-hearted, helpful, self-sufficient and so much more.

The movie reminds me of Arnold’s Commando of which I am a great fan. When such action heroes are portrayed as Commandos or military men etc, they are shown almost perfect. They hardly seem to make mistakes. Everything they do is almost correctly executed. They seem to know how to operate every kind of equipment that can be available. They can use all kinds of vehicles and get things working no matter what. Another characteristic is the small sentences, limited words but conveying the good sense of humour. I even enjoyed the scene when Frank comes home and makes the noodles etc. Everything is done perfectly- at one go. Observe how he cuts the rope in one go (Reminds me of Beast Master on AXN) And specially from Frank, one word that I can think of is Professionalism. Nothing out of place, knowing exactly what he wants and a nice quiet, private life completely contrasting to his ‘other’ life.

Also observe the fight scenes, which are breath-taking none the less, specially for me who is a martial arts fan. His execution is almost perfect every time. The thing that impressed me was his alacrity, almost lightening quick reflexes, and equally sharp brain to think in a split- second and make use of whatever is available. Extreme resourcefulness and an ability to come out of any situation with no fuss. See the Transporter-1 scene in which the fight scenes in bus and the scene that ensues, the use of the greasy fluid which is one of the weirdest, funniest, most amazing scenes you might ever see. Then when he falls in water, he sucks air from the other man who has died till then by the way, that is an underlining factor of his extreme resourcefulness and ability to think out of trouble in any situation and making it look like he has been doing these things all his life.

What I wanted to point out in the fight scenes is the showing of his greatness, that clearly he is the stronger person. You definitely got it wrong. Not by his body or amazing steps or brutal force or defeating everybody, that all are fine but what I am referring to is how he avoids killing people. Even when he shoots, he shoots in the leg and also, never kills when he has the knife. That is the real sign of strength. Even in real life. Killing or hurting others, specially unarmed, weaker ones, lesser than you is a sign of weakness. Hurting or killing others in the process of saving oneself is normal but even in the process of protecting yourself, seeing to it that there is minimum damage to others is exceptional. Real sign of greatness and strength.

Ok. So for those of you who have not seen the Transporter movie first or second or both parts, do give it a try specially if you like action and are a fan of Arnold action type movies. And if possible, try and relate to what I have written while watching. Hopefully you will be able to see them from my view and understand and if not, no need to worry. All people are different and so is their thinking. This was my opinion and it’s not necessary that you agree with what I have written. And those of you who have seen it, why not give it a try once again from this perspective which you have gained after reading this.

I hope there will be a few people who might be benefitted from reading this, who might have wanted an opinion before deciding whether to see the movie or not. Even if there is one person, I would be glad and even if there is none, I have not only written this for utility, but for the sheer joy of writing!

* Extra bonus for Transporter Fans and those interested:

Frank's 4 rules-

1) "Never change the deal"
2) "No names"
3) "Never open the package"
4) "Never make a promise you cannot keep"

Cars-
In the film- The Transporter, Jason Statham's character Frank Martin specifically identifies the car as a "1999 Black BMW 735i". In the DVD commentary, however, Jason Statham indicates that the car was a one-off manual-transmission 1999 7-Series 750iL, with a V12 engine. When Martin returns to Wall Street's estate, Frank drives away with a Mercedes-Benz W140 as a compensation for his BMW. In Transporter 2, new Audi A8 (W12 6.0) and Lamborghini Murcielago is used.

* Transporter 2 is a 2005 action film directed by Louis Leterrier and produced by Luc Besson. It is the sequel to 2002's The Transporter. It is itself followed by Transporter 3, a 2008 sequel which will be released in the U.S. on November 26, 2008. The film follows Frank Martin as he returns to Paris.

Final note- Don't take this movie seriously. Don't think about it. It is a mind-less, action-comedy just to be enjoyed for whatever it offers otherwise you might be dissappointed.

Captain Jack Sparrow

Ahoy mates! Savvy?

It always happens with me that a thing- a movie comes, becomes hugely popular, everyone keeps on talking about it, and I wonder what is the matter! Later on, perhaps years later I come across it, actually watch it and fall madly in love with it and it continues on and on while others are done with it by then and that is exactly what happened with The Pirates of the Caribbean movie. I had never before seen a pirate movie, nor did I think it was something I would like; before I came across this one that is!

Now for some background, Pirates of the Caribbean is a film, actually based on the -The Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disney theme parks. Now although the Pirates of the Caribbean series met with a huge success, it was the character of Captain Jack Sparrow that perhaps garnered more popularity than the movie itself and the major chunk of the credit goes to Johnny Depp himself. Initially, Sparrow was conceived for the first film as a trickster who guides the hero, Will Turner (Orlando Bloom), but Johnny Depp's performance led to Sparrow's role being altered and at the first read-through, Depp surprised the cast and crew by portraying the character in an off-kilter manner. After researching 18th century pirates, Depp compared them to modern rock stars and decided to base his performance on Keith Richards who even made a cameo appearance as Captain Teague, the father of Captain Jack Sparrow , in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End.

Disney executives were initially confused by Depp's performance, asking him whether the character was drunk or gay. Michael Eisner even proclaimed while watching rushes, "He's ruining the film!"

Depp responded, "Look, these are the choices I made. You know my work. So either trust me or give me the boot." Many industry insiders also questioned Depp's casting, as he was an unconventional actor not known for working within the traditional studio system.

After watching this movie, one thing that I can certainly say is whether you like the movie or not, you will certainly fall in love with Captain Jack Sparrow. Some of the things responsible for it would be that firstly, it is such a different character from anything you might have ever seen. He is not exactly the hero in the movie, nor the villain. The character has been made in such a way that it is up to the audience what to think of him. He is not shown as a very good or bad person and again it will depend on the perception of the viewer. But what I feel is that Captain Jack Sparrow (putting ‘Captain’ before his name is almost mandatory after you watch the film) is basically a good person but he is more self-centered and is continuously trying to get the thing that he is after, but if any situation arises, he does help others but neither would he go out of his way to do so. In short, he is concerned with his own welfare and if it doesn’t hurt his interest in any way, he is more than willing to do good for others as well.

According to the screenwriters, Sparrow is a trickster who uses wit and deceit to attain his goals, being a lesser swordsman compared to the other characters. He walks with a slightly drunken swagger and has slurred speech and flailing hand gestures and this, strangely, I believe is what majorly contributes to his charm and likeability! Sparrow is the Pirate Lord of the Caribbean Sea and can be treacherous, surviving mostly by using wit and negotiation rather than weapons and force; although he will fight if necessary, he tries to flee most dangerous situations. Sparrow represents an ethical pirate, his true motives usually remain masked. Even Sparrow's actions are often preplanned and his tactics, admired. Sparrow usually prefers the strategies of non-violent negotiations and turning his enemies against each other. He explains, "Why fight when you can negotiate? All one needs is the proper leverage." He often uses complex wordplay and vocabulary to confound his enemies and he is portrayed as having created, or at least contributed to, his own reputation. Despite his many heroics, Sparrow is a pirate and a morally ambiguous character but claims to be a man of his word, and expresses surprise that people doubt his truthfulness!

Johnny Depp has said pirates were like rock stars in that their fame preceded them, which suggests a reason for the portrayal of Sparrow as having an enormous ego. Depp partly based the character on Pepé Le Pew, a womanizing skunk from Looney Tunes. Sparrow claims to have a "tremendous intuitive sense of the female creature", although his conquests are often left with a sour memory of him and His witty charm easily attracts women. Sparrow claims his "first and only love is the sea,", and describes his ship as representing freedom. Sparrow also has bad personal hygiene, a trait of Pepé Le Pew and an insatiable thirst for rum.

As I have mentioned in my other posts, I really like Arnold Schwarzenegger movies and even The Transporter kind of movies too wherein the hero is usually the big, muscular guy who epitomizes the ‘Ultimate action hero’, is proficiently trained with consummate skills capable of handling anything, characterized by the small sentences and few words. But this character of Captain Jack Sparrow is so very different from that and yet I love him too.

He is a simple person in a way who does what he feels best and lives for himself. You may call him selfish, but to me he is just a normal person who lives as anyone would. He knows what he wants, tries everything that he can to get things that he wants or to get out of trouble and does not live in guilt. He puts his interest forward first but tending to see that generally everything is well with all around him. He isn’t extremely skilled but makes the most of whatever he has mainly his wit and the gift of words. He is not the one to go by traditions but rather responds to the situation and does what seems best to him.

And this is one of the major reasons I feel that people can identify and love Jack is because he is not shown as the ideal ‘hero’ who is almost perfect and lives by ideals, morals or values. He is not perfect and that is what makes him lovable.

According to various people, Sparrow is the only element of the films that will remain timeless. The character's popularity can be attributed to being a "scoundrel whose occasional bouts of conscience allow viewers to go with the flaws because, as played to the larger-than-life hilt by Depp, he owns every scene he is in and his popularity is attributed to the increased questioning of masculinity in the 21st century. Sparrow has a carefree attitude and does not take himself seriously and is an escapist fantasy figure for women, free from much of the responsibility of most heroes. He is also one of the ten favorite film outlaws, as he "lives for himself and the freedom to do whatever it is that he damn well pleases. Precious few film characters have epitomized what makes the outlaw such a romantic figure for audiences as Captain Jack Sparrow has."

Depp's flamboyant and eccentric characterization, partially inspired by Pepé Le Pew and Keith Richards, turned Sparrow into an iconic anti-hero and the breakout character of the series and Depp even earned his first Academy Award nomination!

Johnny Depp has made Captain jack Sparrow a living legend- an immortal one. One that will always be loved and remembered by everyone. Pirates of the Caribbean can only be there while Captain Jack Sparrow is there. It is just completely incomplete without him.

This post was completely about the character that dominates the Pirates of the Caribbean but ‘keep a weather eye on the horizon’ of my blog for more posts on the movie series and more! This is the day you shall always remember as the day that you almost…….understood Captain Jack Sparrow! (No one can, to be fair!)

Some of the best Jack Sparrow lines-

- [talking to Will Turner about Elizabeth] She's safe, just like I promised. She's all set to marry Norrington just like she promised and you're all set to die for her just like you promised. So we're all men of our word, really... except for Elizabeth, who is, in fact, a woman.

- You seem somewhat familiar; have I threatened you before?

- Me, I'm dishonest. And a dishonest man you can always trust to be dishonest. Honestly. It's the honest ones you want to watch out for. Because you can never predict when they're going to do something incredibly…stupid.

- "Do us a favor...I know it's hard...but stay here, and try not to do anything...stupid."

- You forgot one very important thing mate... I'm Captain Jack Sparrow."

- No, you want you to find this. Because the finding of this finds you incapacitorially finding and/or locating in your discovering the detecting of a way to save your dolly belle ol' what's-her-face. [pause] Savvy?

- You can mistrust me less than you can mistrust him, trust me.

- No. If we don't have the key, we can't open whatever it is we don't have that it unlocks. So what purpose would be served in finding whatever needs be unlocked... which we don't have... without having first found the key what unlocks it?

- [While Giselle and Scarlett are arguing, Jack mad about his ship stolen again by Barbossa] Ladies, will you please shut it?! [Turning his head back and forth to Scarlett and Giselle as he speaks each sentence] Yes, I lied to you. No, I don't love you. Of course it makes you look fat! I've never been to Brussels. It is pronounced, "egregious." And by the way, no, I never actually met Pizzaro, but I love his pies. And all of this pales into utter insignificance in light of the fact that my ship is, once again, gone! Savvy?

- (Jack looks out over the wheel of the Black Pearl)Jack: "Bring me that horizon."(He looks down at his compass, then starts to mutter the Pirate's Life for Me song)Jack: "...And really bad eggs. Drink up, me 'arties, yo ho!"

Watch out for more on the movie series and dialogues.

* Disclaimer- Few references and pictures taken from a few websites.

Titanic

A voyage into my heart !

Titanic! You all have heard about it, read or seen the movie. You all know when it started and with what fate it met. You remember the movie for the actors and the director and for the awards that it won galore. And yes I know it is also among your favorite movies of all time.

But for me, this movie is really special. As usual I caught up with this movie very late- years after it had been released and after people had watched it a million times! When it burst onto the scene, I did not particularly think much of it. It wasn’t something I thought I would want to watch or something I would like. Little did I know!

A story about a ship, its voyage and the life of mainly 2 people on board in it. Jack Dawson and Rose De Witt Bukater. Two people living extremely different lives. The classic poor boy and rich girl! Even though this is the classic setting, it proves that still it can be successful. The poor little rich girl trapped into this world where she does not belong. Her heart longs for freedom and here she is trapped where no one really cares that she exists, taken for granted. Under social obligation of sorts and under pressure from her mother, she tries time and again to settle and accept this life of hers but her soul longs to break free.

And there is Jack Dawson a free bird, who roams around the whole world and who earns his bread by his drawings. He is care-free and enjoys his life doing what he wants, wins the lucky ticket at a game of poker, meets this girl and it is love at first sight, again a classic theme, but successful.

Now I remember asking this question to my family members when this movie came- whether it is a real story. And my mother answered that it indeed is. But what I also really wanted to know was whether this story about Jack and Rose is real too, did these people really exist on the original Titanic ship. And she told me that it isn’t. And today before writing this post, I have indeed confirmed that the characters of Jack, Rose, her mother Ruth, her fiancee Cal, his bodyguard Spicer, Fabrizio, and the treasure hunters are all fictional creations of James Cameron. In the passenger list however, there was a man by the name of "J.Dawson" who died on the Titanic. His name was actually Joseph Dawson. He was a worker in the boiler room of the ship! This fact does not deter hundreds of movie fans from leaving flowers and notes at the gravesite though! Sadly it isn't a real story about Jack and Rose, although a lot of us wish it were.

Titanic is such a legendary story, it connects with people of all ages from all countries because it is basically a human tragedy which every human can connect with!

Every time I watch this movie, (and trust me I have seen it far too many times) certain kind of feelings come up in me which I cannot understand. It is a unique feeling- heart wrenching at times. Very few movies, rarely any if at all make me emotional in such a way. I have been wondering and have already asked a few people including my cousin sister and my pen pal too, the fact that when I watch this movie, I become sad but still at the same time I also enjoy watching it. To me it is absolutely puzzling. Can this two exist together? Can a person enjoy watching something that makes him sad? I have found no answers in all these years. Maybe it can be and I am unnecessarily worrying about it and trying to solve this, what seems to be a mystery to me which in reality might be a simple fact and truth.

If any of you however know the answer to this or have an opinion on it, please do tell it to me!

I don’t really need to write much about this movie per se, you all have seen it and know a lot on it. My focus here was in fact about focusing on the other aspects and what it means to me. For me Jack and Rose are two characters permanently etched in my memory, and the song by Celine Dion is something that I can listen to any day and it brings back all those feelings that the movie brings out in me.

Some of the things of the movie that I really like and remember and feel are the most significant in the movie- The first time Jack and Rose look at each other, their first meeting a very strange one where she is contemplating suicide and he just turns it into a casual conversation and tactfully prevents it, their second meeting after this which is really beautifully thought out- this forthright and direct boy who asks if she loves the man she will soon get married to which completely stumps her and the response, typical of a ‘lady’ the culturally brought up, one was has been taught what is appropriate socially and what is not, is among the most beautiful scenes of the movie. From what I know, the actual script was different though and many things were changed in this scene too and a lot of dialogues and even a lot of scenes have been deleted which you will easily find on You Tube, even an alternate ending. The various moments they share together- The comparison and contrast of the sophisticated but artificial first class world and the poor but simple and honest world of the third class, everything is so wonderful. It is for me among the greatest love stories I have ever known. The love of Jack and Rose is really real for me. In each gesture, word and look it comes out. And some of the lines that touch my heart, this movie has everything and no matter how many times I watch it, the response within me is always the same!

What I also came to know is that both Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet were so young at the time the movie was made. He was perhaps 22 and she was 21. The scenes from the point where the ship hits the ice berg and to the point when Rose is rescued are really great. ‘The moment’ in the movie for me is when Jack has died and she realizes it and lets him go. What a touching moment!

Well, now there you go- another post of mine about a movie that involves a ship and a character named Jack.- Titanic besides the earlier one of Pirates of the Caribbean! I really want to ask people to name a movie that contains a ship and has a character named Jack. I want to know which answer among the two is given the most and what comes to mind first! Of course assuming there is no third movie with the same combination. What is your answer?

This time I really tried to make this post as small as possible because my posts are way too big by any standards and people generally aren’t really interested to read the whole long posts! Also one of my characteristics is that before writing about any topic, I really, really have to get in that topic, I almost surround myself by that topic for days, I go as deep into it as possible almost like an actor when he is portraying a character in a movie, he wants to live that character, be that character all the time to really feel it and make it a reality and so for this post, I went through the sadness for two days by watching the movie yesterday night till 1:40 in the night and today searching things related to Titanic only!

Hope I managed to catch the essence of it!

Book Review- Mystic's Musings

Actually this is not just a book review but also in a way a continuation of my previous post. So those of you who have read my previous post- Enlightened Masters would understand. In that I had written about Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev too and that I had ordered his book.

A few days later, now I have finished that book. I had gone home for 3 days and in those 3 days, I did manage to read it. Actually I managed to finish those 500 pages within two and a half days!

People say that such books- specially, have to be read slowly not just like a novel and it has to be read again and again. But I have never treated Spirituality books any differently. And one of the main reasons I think, which is important for these kind of books is that they are not really for the intellect. So you don’t really have to read and understand as such from the mind. It is difficult to understand because we only know that way and no other but these kind of books have a special purpose which Sadhguru himself said for this book that at certain points there are some keys in it. We just have to let it do its job. I have also seen many people when they are attending any talks of Masters or Gurus, they even note or jot down the things they are saying and I feel quite sad and I can’t even imagine what these Masters would be feeling because it is definitely not about their words. When you are in their presence, you just have to open up. Even if you don’t listen, you will benefit so much. It is their sheer presence that’s the most important and that is what ‘satsang’ is.

Now coming back to this book, I have only read it once that too with good enough speed and now I don’t have it with me so I cannot quote anything from it nor mention any chapter name etc. so it is important also that I write this post now otherwise I will forget a lot of things. I knew this was an interesting book by reading reviews on internet, like the one I am writing, and it was written that the first thing you will notice about this book is its shape-seemingly a perfect square although not to the naked eye, and it was written that it is not for the faint-hearted and how true it was. I must admit that I started reading the book from the time I got up in the morning - to the time I went to bed, and on the second day’s night, I was afraid to go to sleep! Now no one can imagine that a book on spirituality will or can make anyone afraid but actually these book progressively deals with more and more mysterious and esoteric topics. So on that second day, I had already reached the parts of after-death and disembodied beings etc. Reading Osho had made me skeptical of almost all things that people do- rituals etc because he never emphasized those things although he knew their meanings whereas Sadhguru openly answered all the questions that were asked of him.

Now I will bring in Osho here too from time to time..and the thing about this book is that it was actually meant for the close disciples and not necessarily the general public. And this is also important because some information if it is available to the general public can even be dangerous and that’s why a lot of things are closely guarded. But obviously he was aware that such a book is being published and will be available to the general public so he would have said if he was worried of any such thing.

Another danger that I see with it being available to the general public in addition to the fact that people might harm themselves because any spiritual practice needs guidance and people might invite things which they are not capable of handling which was also written in the book and the second thing would be the knowledge seekers would be really happy to get such a book which would help to increase their knowledge or might lead to people believing or disbelieving what is written in it. Many of the things that he has talked about, we do not have any experience of it so in no way can we approve or disapprove or accept or reject it. Osho was very particular about what he talked. He was aware that whatever he says about the things that people didn’t know, they will either start believing or disbelieving it so he always talked about this and avoided speaking on such things. I distinctly remember Sadhguru saying twice in this book that what he is saying – don’t believe it because it is not yet in your experience- and they consistently insist on not accepting anything unless it is your experience; but disbelieving it too would be foolish is what he says.

While reading this book, I felt as if I was almost reading the Gita because here too it was only question-answers and he was very authoritative while answering and an answer lead to another question. Only once when one of the question was answered, another question in connection to it rose in my mind and thankfully that was exactly the question that was asked next. Sadhguru really seemed to be very patient- answering all kinds of questions even when you could see that the questioner’s mind is only weaving more and more questions and Sadhguru’s answer would not be his answer. In this book Sadhguru was frank and very open. He disclosed a lot of personal things, including details of his previous births and even a picture to go with it.

While reading the book, I did wonder – since I am an MBA student and we have to have our resume, so I was wondering if he had his biodata, he could even write about his previous lives and I imagined what kind of an interview it would be. I was smiling within thinking the plight of the interviewer. It also made me think that you could easily make a movie on this book. Such a vast book, with so many things-especially the ones related to the Dhyanalinga are the most intriguing.

This book will take you through an amazing journey, with tales of why the snake and the cow are special among animals, meanings of many rituals- tying together the toes of the dead, information on Occult temples and practices, what is a Dhyanalinga, why it is special and what goes into making one and so much more. And almost all the questions that you can think of asking an enlightened one-even those of curiosity like can he read minds etc. I can only think of one or two questions that he did not really answer and a little information that he held back because it would be too unbelievable for the people.

So 295 rupees is really worth this book, I got much more than what I was expecting but make sure you know why you want this book. And what’s more, you can even order it online like I did from Wisdom tree for no extra charges. I did it because I had been looking for this book all over Gujarat, Mumbai and Pune and even Bangalore without any success so for the first time ordered online and it was a good first experience.

Game review- Unreal Tournament 2004

Well, it does look like I have become only a reviewer now, going by my past few posts! This time suddenly out of nowhere I struck upon this idea of writing a review for a thing which has become a part of my life- it is no short of an addiction, as it is for my roommates too and I must thank them for introducing me to this game.

This game is nothing short of real. You have a gun and you go on killing others. Sounds too simple? Thinking what is so great in that? Well that’s not the only thing about this game. First of all, the best part is that you can play it with your friends not just the computer players and that gives it a personal touch- fighting it out with your roommates- the people you know and live with. Of course, it might even help some people unconsciously to vent out their maybe built-up anger or frustration on each other, if there is any-in your subconscious mind. And I feel it is bound to be there -somewhat at least because whenever you live with anybody, you will love them to some extent and hate them to some extent even if you are unaware of it.

I have noticed this thing about my posts that even in reviews; I don’t just stick to the thing I am reviewing, like I have observed other blogs on the net containing reviews. I do bring in other things, especially psychology etc because that is the way I am and it is going to reflect in my blog too.

Anyways, other great things about this game are its graphics, sound, the game play, and plus there are so many options- you can play as a team, fulfill various objectives, or just plain kill everyone and everything you can see. In addition to the anger within you, it is also a good way to get rid of the violence in you too. If all the people in the world, even terrorists use this means, violence might disappear although there is a good enough chance that people get involved in a wrong way and might be encouraged to try it in real life and violence might increase- specially for kids it is advised to stay away from watching or playing violence for this reason only. So it has both ways depending on the people who play it but it definitely a good and safe outlet to let go of those built-up things within you.

This game also has such wonderful locations from planets-like places, forests, ice buildings, junkyard and what not. You are given a certain amount of health, you pick up more health from various places and you also start with only two weapons and pick up more during the course of the game. Even the bullets exhaust so you have to pick them up too. And there are even shields and people do get very attracted to them.

Also an interesting thing about this game is that the way you are in real-life that will be reflected in the way you play the game. Some are very bold and just roam around in the open, or others might find a good hide-out and target people from there which some might consider cowardly but it is also smart in a way. Everyone that I play with says that I really dodge their bullets so it’s difficult to kill me easily. But that is how I would be in real life too. I depend on my reflexes and that is my strength. I don’t like to die even in the game so I try to kill others at the same time avoid dying myself. Now you are re-born every time you die, so perhaps that’s why people don’t play my way because even if you die, you will be reborn immediately with the only drawback that you lose the guns etc that you picked. But to me this fact that you are reborn doesn’t mean much. It might be one life or infinite, why to die? So I don’t care for this fact and so that is the way I play.

In real life too, you do get infinite lives but it is a cycle and the things that you gather in this life, they no longer remain with you when you are reborn. Maybe somewhere in real life too I want to get out of this cycle of birth and death as you would know from my previous posts- my inclination to these things. So maybe that gets reflected in this game. I want liberation in this birth itself and get finished with it once and for all. So if you are on the path, you don’t want to die before that because again it would be a long journey and you might get lost the next time. So I definitely advise this game for the game lovers. You have so many things in there to explore and in time every single player that plays this game will develop his own unique style of playing and even the routes that people select to go in the game are different. You will go on to like a particular type of gun and hate another one etc. You might love death match, or team games going around fulfilling various missions or objectives.

In short a great way to know more about yourself- the kind of person you are. Play it and you will come to know! And if once in a while you want to feel like God, just play single player and use the cheats which you will easily find on the net. Happy Playing!

GHAJINI

* This is the original work of Achyut Telang and you may not reproduce or distribute this information in whole or in part and all photos, images etc on this blog post cannot be copied, edited, reproduced or used without the prior written permission of Achyut Telang.

Just recently I saw the movie Ghajini. For those of you who might not know, Ghajini was originally a south Indian movie made similar to Memento. And this movie was made in Hindi with the other actors and the team being the same except the main actor. The actor in the hindi movie Ghajini was Aamir Khan- the 'perfectionist'

And what a perfectionist he is! Initially he was skeptical about playing this role but others convinced him and he made a wise choice. For this he underwent one year of training to build up the kind of body required for this role.

Below is the portrait I have made from the movie Ghajini:

* NOTE : Click on the drawing for a larger and better view.

MY DRAWING OF AAMIR KHAN IN GHAJINI

Ever since I saw this movie, I have not been able to get it completely out of my mind. And this movie being directly a remake of the south indian movie, they have kept it the same except the last half an hour. It contains a bit too much of violence and is a little gory though, but is essential for a theme of revenge.

The story itself is interesting and something that the audiences would not have come across much- the concept of Anterograde amnesia, called 'short-term memory loss' in the movie in the layman's language. A man affected by this disorder, who forgets everything after 15 minutes, seeking to take revenge of his beloved!

It was emotional and also touching many a times, mainly due to the sincerity of Aamir Khan. That is one thing for which I would recommend this movie to everyone. I really admire such sincerity which two actors in Bollywood definitely possess that come to my mind- Aamir Khan and Hrithik Roshan. Obviously Amitabh Bachchan is always there but for me the tag of 'perfectionist' and 'the most sincere' would be for these two.

Sincerity comes through everything and directly touches your heart. And this quality was what made me do this portrait and I tried to show the same sincerity here too and hopefully I have done justice to it. I wouldn't say it's perfect or as best as it could be, still I tried and am happy with my effort. I was motivated to do it and would constantly listen to the song 'Tu meri adhuri pyaas' from this movie while making this portrait to surround myself by that environment that I required to make this portrait.

* See my other post- PIANO NOTATIONS for notations on the song- Tu Meri Adhuri Pyaas from Ghajini movie.